Around the Blogosphere This Week

Miscellaneous bits of news and fun stuff from around the Internet...

...There's great news for fans of film noir and crime films: Kino Lorber Studio Classics has announced that the Dark Side of Cinema XXVII Blu-ray collection is "coming soon." The terrific lineup of films includes Raymond Burr in UNMASKED (1950), which was my favorite film at the 2025 Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival, plus Bob Steele in THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY (1941) and Dane Clark in THE MAN IS ARMED (1956). This sounds like a fabulous set for those of us who love exploring little-known movies.

...THE MAVERICK QUEEN (1955), which Kino Lorber earlier this year announced would be coming to Blu-ray, is now scheduled for a July 21st release. The print will be from a 4K scan of the original 35mm camera negative.

...THE LOVE TRAP (1929) , directed by William Wyler and starring Laura La Plante, is due out from Kino Lorber on July 14th...and "coming soon" is HIGH RISK (1981), with a cast including Anthony Quinn, Bruce Davison, Lindsay Wagner, Ernest Borgnine, and more.

...Disc reviews: James L. Neibaur, Glenn Erickson, and Stuart Galbraith IV (the latter of The Digital Bits) have each reviewed the new Kino Lorber release of NIGHT WORLD (1932)...Galbraith has also recently reviewed MOGAMBO (1953) and BEND OF THE RIVER (1952)...Glenn Erickson has also reviewed Kino's release of THE THIEF OF BAGDAD (1924) and VCI's two-film set of the public domain films D.O.A. (1949) and BORDERLINE (1950)...Timothy E. of Home Theater Forum has reviewed the new release Fleischer Cartoons Greatest Hits Volume 1. I just bought a copy a few days ago; it's available from ClassicFlix.

...Over at Comet Over Hollywood, Jessica Pickens' latest reviews include BRIDAL SUITE (1939) and SWEETHEARTS ON PARADE (1953).

...Ahead of this weekend's UCLA Festival of Preservation, KABC TV in Los Angeles has a news story on the UCLA Film and Television Archive.

...Notable Passings: Marcia Lucas, who won the Oscar for editing STAR WARS (1977), has passed away at 80. Lucas also edited RETURN OF THE JEDI (1983) and did uncredited editing work on THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980); I will always be grateful to her for her many contributions to three of my very favorite movies. Lucas was nominated for another editing Oscar for AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973)...I was very sorry to learn of the death of actress Ann Robinson (WAR OF THE WORLDS) at the age of 96. I was fortunate to see her at a couple different screenings over the years. Here she graciously posed for me at the TCM Classic Film Festival a decade ago...It was also sad to learn of the passing of actress Caitlin O'Heaney (TALES OF THE GOLD MONKEY). I loved her as Snow White on THE CHARMINGS (1987-88) and was mystified when she was replaced after the first season. Depending on the source, she was 72 or 73.

...More Notable Passings: British actor David Burke, who was Dr. Watson to Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes in the classic 1984-85 TV series, has passed on at 91...Actor Peter Helm, who appeared in TV and movies for a dozen years beginning in 1959, has died at 84. He was married to actress Brooke Bundy (GENERAL HOSPITAL) in the early '60s. Survivors include his sister, actress Anne Helm...Character actor Charles Cioffi has died at 90...Costume designer Albert Wolsky has passed on at 95. He won Oscars for ALL THAT JAZZ (1979) and BUGSY (1991). His other credits included a pair of films I loved, TV's Hallmark Hall of Fame production of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1976) and THE TURNING POINT (1977), seen here...Kelly Lee Curtis, the oldest child of Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, has died at 69. Survivors include her younger sister, Oscar-winning actress Jamie Lee Curtis.

...For additional recent links of interest to classic film fans, please visit my May 16th column.

Post

Tonight's Movie: Mississippi (1935) - A Universal Blu-ray Review

MISSISSIPPI (1935), starring Bing Crosby and W.C. Fields, has just been released on Blu-ray by Universal.

This is a film I've long wanted to see due to its leading ladies, favorites Joan Bennett and Gail Patrick.

Bing plays Tom Grayson, a Quaker-raised Philadelphian now living in the South.

Tom is newly engaged to Elvira (Patrick), but when her former suitor shows up at the engagement party and challenges Tom to a duel for "stealing" his sweetheart, Tom thinks it's absurd and refuses.

Elvira is insulted Tom won't defend her "honor" and immediately breaks the engagement, to the joy of her little sister Lucy (Bennett), a schoolgirl who secretly loves Tom herself.

Tom takes a job on a showboat run by Commodore Jackson (Fields), where Tom ironically becomes known as "Colonel Steele, the Singing Killer."

Eventually, Tom reunites with Lucy, but even the loyal Lucy is shocked by Tom's new identity -- or maybe she's just bothered by his unfortunate-looking mustache?

This is quite a short film, running just 73 minutes, and I'd class it as mildly entertaining. There's little depth to the characters, especially Elvira, whose instant breaking of her engagement reveals no real feelings for her fiance.

Bennett was about 25 when this was made, and her Lucy is delightful, especially in a scene where she confesses her feelings for Tom; however, again we have no character insights into why she loves him, other than that he's Bing Crosby. Bennett has nice comedic timing, while her longing is also moving, and occasionally signs of Bennett's more mature 1940s film persona peek through in her line deliveries.

Bing's performance is somewhat pallid, almost too calm and emotionless; as I've watched more of his '30s films I've come to realize it took time for him to develop the comfortable onscreen persona I associate with Bing. That said, he sings songs by Rodgers and Hart, and there are a couple funny sequences with Fields, especially one involving a card game with way too many aces on the table.

In the end, MISSISSIPPI is nothing particularly special, but it's a pleasant enough way to spend a little over an hour, especially for those who are fans of the cast or Rodgers and Hart (and who isn't?!).

The cast also includes Queenie Smith, Claude Gillingwater, John Miljan, Paul Hurst, and Stanley Andrews.

Future film noir star Dennis O'Keefe can be clearly seen as an extra during the engagement party sequence. Ann Sheridan is apparently one of Bennett's school friends, but I didn't pick her out of the group.

The movie was directed by A. Edward Sutherland and the uncredited Wesley Ruggles. It was filmed in black and white by Charles Lang and the uncredited Karl Struss.

Universal previously released this film on DVD in a six-film Crosby set as part of their "Backlot" series; later it was a single-title DVD release in the Universal Vault series.

The Blu-ray print has some speckles and is perhaps a bit less "cleaned up" than some of Universal's other recent Blu-ray releases, but overall it's fine, without any large flaws or distracting skips or jumps. Especially for those of us who grew up watching films via terrible TV prints, this disc is quite satisfactory. Sound quality is fine.

There are no extras, but optional English-language subtitles are provided.

Thanks to Allied Vaughn and Universal for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray. It may be purchased from Movie Zyng, Amazon, and other online retailers.

Tweet

Tonight's Movie: The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026)

Things are starting to get back to normal here after our recent unexpected evacuation. It's hard to believe almost a week has past since that incident began.

Our original plans to see THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU (2026) over the holiday weekend had to be cancelled, but we were able to catch up with it today.

I'm a fan of the MANDALORIAN TV series and reviewed the very first episode here back in 2019. In 2022 I also shared photos from our visit to Star Wars Celebration: The Mandalorian Experience.

One of the reasons the series appeals to me is it's basically a "space Western," as the late Jeff Arnold described in a 2019 column at Jeff Arnold's West. That likeness was never more apparent than in the new movie, which was, in essence, a STAR WARS "B" Western.

The plot finds the Mandalorian, Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal, THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS), and his adopted son Grogu working for the New Republic.

The Mandalorian tracks down holdouts pushing for a return of the Empire, and as part of that he is tasked by Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaver) with rescuing the kidnapped Rotta the Hutt (Jeremy Allen White), son of the late Jabba.

The hope is that by returning Rotta to his family they will in turn share valuable information about someone on the colonel's "most wanted" list. Perhaps not surprisingly, nothing goes as planned...

At the outset I'll say that the movie doesn't even attempt to reach the heights of the very best STARS WARS movies, and that's most apparent with the poor score by Ludwig Goransson. Some majestic Williams-esque music would have gone a long way to heighten the excitement and underline the character's relationships. We occasionally hear the faintest thread of an original STAR WARS theme, but that music always fades away after a few bars.

The cinematography by David Klein is also quite dark, an annoying trend in recent years.

From the standpoint of those issues, it's rather lazy filmmaking, as the movie could have been much more. That said, I try to review what is, rather than what I wanted, and what did end up on screen is a perfectly pleasant "popcorn movie," rather akin to the TV series.

The film reminded me of lesser "B" Westerns, in which character interactions are very frequently interrupted by our heroes riding around on horseback and shooting it out with the bad guys. There's a lot of "riding around and shooting" in this movie, but those scenes are interspersed with some delightful moments.

What can I say? I'm a big fan of Grogu, colloquially also known as "Baby Yoda." Everything about Grogu is charming, including his incessant need for snacks and the way his eyes light up during exciting adventures with his "dad." Because of my Grogu fandom, my overall review comes down closer to that of Erik Kain of Forbes, who calls the movie a "hilarious little space Western."

You have to love Grogu running up a tab at a snack stand run by an informant (Martin Scorsese, of all people, in a funny performance) or being fed by Rotta. Rotta, it turns out, wants to be as different from his evil father as possible, and he dotes on Grogu, one of the film's more charming aspects.

I also laughed every time the tiny Anzellan mechanics referred to Grogu with names such as "the horrible baby," followed by those same Anzellans determined to rescue the imperiled Mandalorian "for the baby." Every aspect of the Anzellans' relationship with Grogu is adorable.

And of course, I love the ongoing relationship between father and son. One might question the Mandalorian taking a "baby" into very dangerous settings, but such is the world they live in, and this baby is growing smarter and more powerful all the time, to the point he can care for his father as much as his father protects him.

The fact that one of the main characters wears a helmet and one is actually a puppet, yet they have a moving and endearing relationship, is rather remarkable, really.

Circling back to the Rotta character, I also enjoyed the echoing of Luke Skywalker's relationship with his own father, underscoring once more that family history doesn't have to repeat itself.

Another plus is that some of the neon set design calls to mind San Fransokyo of BIG HERO 6 (2014), while a swampy sequence with Grogu and a fisherman calls to mind not only Yoda's THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980) swamp but...the beginning of Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean ride?!

There's a nice callback to both the MANDORIAN and AHSOKA series with the return of Paul Syung-Hung Lee as Captain Carson Teva. Steve Blum plays the Mandalorian's pilot friend Zeb.

Although he's unseen, John Wayne's grandson, Brendan Wayne, once again wears the Mandalorian suit, with Pascal voicing the character and appearing in a brief helmetless sequence. (Those "in the know" understand that Mandalorians don't typically remove their helmets.) Lateef Crowder wears the suit for stunt scenes.

THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU was directed by Jon Favreau, who cowrote the script with Dave Filoni and Noah Kloor. (Filoni can be spotted in a cameo as Trapper Wolf, his character from the TV series.) The movie runs 132 minutes.

Parental Advisory: This film is rated PG-13. It's a STAR WARS movie: Lots of non-gory shoot-'em-ups, alongside positive themes about family and doing the right thing.

A trailer is here.

In the end, enjoyment of THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU will probably come down to expectations and whether a viewer can enjoy a "lesser" STAR WARS film. As a "glass is half full" viewer I found it an enjoyable time at the movies, and I will return to it in the future.

To put this film into context with my overall feelings on STAR WARS movies and series, the original three films are among my all-time favorite movies, probably all in my Top 10. I also appreciate ROGUE ONE, SOLO, and ANDOR...but I will never, ever watch the half-dozen prequel or sequel films again!

Related reviews: ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY (2016), STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI (2017), SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY (2018), STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER (2019).

Tweet

Tonight's Movies: Song of the Range (1944) and Louisiana (1947) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

Very exciting news for fans of last year's Monogram Matinee Volume 1 collection from the Warner Archive: Two more volumes have been released this spring, in less than a month's time!

The Monogram Matinee Volume 2 collection, featuring SONG OF THE RANGE (1944) and LOUISIANA (1947), came out at the very end of April, and Volume 3 was released just yesterday, on May 26th.

SONG OF THE RANGE is a quick little 55-minute film starring Jimmy Wakely and Dennis Moore.

The late Western historian Les Adams offers the information at IMDb that the SONG OF THE RANGE script by Betty Burbridge is a reworking of PALS IN SADDLE (1938), a Three Mesquiteers "B" film she wrote with Stanley Roberts.

The SONG OF THE RANGE plot is frankly a bit confusing, with Denny (Dennis Moore, seen here) unjustly accused of murder. There are multiple identities galore as Denny's pal Jimmy (Jimmy Wakely) and secret agent Dale Harding (Cay Forester) are on the trail of gold smugglers, while saving Denny's life.

Much of this black and white movie was filmed by Marcel Le Picard with group shots of multiple players, and given some of the cast members' generic looks and costumes, much more frequent use of closeups might have been helpful to help keep the characters straight!

That said, what I felt really mattered in this film was the music, and there is plenty of it, with nine songs performed by the cast. The singers include not just Wakely, but also Lee "Lasses" White, the Red River Valley Boys, and the Sunshine Girls. I love Western music, and it's quite beautiful here, while being worked into the story in a natural way.

SONG OF THE RANGE was directed by Wallace Fox. Location shots were filmed in Santa Clarita.

I admit to being a bit skeptical when I read the premise of the 85-minute LOUISIANA, but it ended up being quite an interesting curiosity for several reasons.

My attention was immediately captured by the information that it was directed by Phil Karlson, who made quite a number of Westerns and film noir titles I've enjoyed. Karlson's films include THUNDERHOOF (1948) and KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL (1952), to name just two.

Jimmie Davis, who also starred in MISSISSIPPI RHYTHM (1949) in the Volume 1 collection, stars in a fictionalized story of his life.

Davis, one of 11 children of poor sharecroppers, loves learning; despite his family's poverty he manages to work his way through college and land a teaching job.

Davis also has a great love for music; he was a composer, most notably of the standard "You Are My Sunshine," and performed on radio and in the movies. He was elected governor of Louisiana twice, in 1944 and 1960, and is billed with his title in the opening credits.

The script by Jack DeWitt, from a story by Steve Healey, is pretty interesting. The earnest, naturalistic performances of Davis and others in some cases are close to being hokey at times, yet they never quite cross the line. It's a refreshingly different kind of film which holds the attention.

The cast includes Margaret Lindsay as Davis's wife Alvern. Also in the cast are John Gallaudet, Charles Lane, Lee "Lasses" White, Virginia Dale, Eddy Waller, Ralph Reed, and Joseph Crehan. Favorite character actress Mary Field plays Davis's mother. The film is narrated by Reed Hadley.

The movie was filmed in black and white by William Sickner.

There are no extras on the disc, but they are both very nice, crisp Blu-ray prints with excellent sound. The prints are 1080p HD masters from 4K scans of nitrate fine grains.

Optional English captions are provided.

This is an enjoyable disc of nicely presented films which will be appreciated by fans of Westerns, "B" films, and Western music.

Coming soon: A review of the Monogram Matinee Volume 3 collection!

Thanks to the Warner Archive and Allied Vaughn for providing a review copy of this collection. This set may be purchased from Movie Zyng, Amazon, and other online retailers.

Post

Tonight's Movie: The Sheep Detectives (2026)

When I first saw the trailer for THE SHEEP DETECTIVES (2026) a few months ago, I was intrigued, as it looked both amusing and refreshingly different.

I've now seen the film and am happy to report it was an enjoyable afternoon at the movies, thanks to a strong cast and a creative premise which nicely balances humor and pathos.

George Hardy (Hugh Jackman) is a shepherd in rural England who enjoys winding down at the end of the day reading murder mysteries out loud to his flock of sheep. Little does he know the sheep are actually hanging on to his every word...and that they discuss the plots among themselves once George retires for the night.

George chooses to live an isolated existence in a trailer not far from a small village. He's tender with the sheep but not especially social when it comes to humans, though he sends letters to a mysterious woman named Rebecca (Molly Gordon) and invites her to visit.

Given his quiet life, it's a shock when Lily (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), one of George's favorite sheep, discovers him dead.

Lily initially thinks George is playing a game, but another, wiser sheep, Mopple (Chris O'Dowd), breaks the bad news that George is no longer alive.

Although sheep have a magical ability to choose to block painful experiences from their minds, they realize it would be wrong to forget about George and his death. Instead, they need to put what they've learned from his mystery novels to work and find out who killed him -- especially as the village police officer, Tim Derry (Nicholas Braun), has no experience with murder cases.

With its CGI characters and talking animals, THE SHEEP DETECTIVES has touches of films such as BABE (1995) and CHRISTOPHER ROBIN (2018), and like those movies it works equally well for both adults and children.

Indeed, it was a pleasant surprise that the film is rated only PG, rather than PG-13; despite being centered around a murder, THE SHEEP DETECTIVES is what one thinks of as a "cozy" British mystery, with its gentle tone and smalltown setting. Gore and bad language are absent.

The film has some really marvelous humor, thanks to both the sheep and particularly Emma Thompson as a businesslike, brusque attorney. Alongside the chuckles, the film explores some profound themes about love, loss, belonging, and remembrance that cause misty eyes along with the laughter.

Some moments manage to be funny and profound all at once, such as when Sebastian (Bryan Cranston) attempts to explain God to Lily: "He's a shepherd. And a sheep." He goes on from there and ultimately had me sputtering with laughter as he discusses God with the confused Lily.

I especially liked Braun as the police officer. The movie avoids initially expected cliches such as him being a jerk or a dimwit; instead, as time goes on we find that he's innocent enough to be open to the strange goings-on when the sheep send him clues.

I'll be honest and say that I would have liked a voice other than Louis-Dreyfus for Lily, but that's more an issue of personal preference regarding the sound of her voice, rather than anything overtly wrong with her vocal performance. Perhaps it will grow on me over future viewings.

Other sheep are voiced by Patrick Stewart, Tommy Birchall, Regina Hall, Rhys Darby, Laraine Newman, and Brett Goldstein, who plays rambunctious twins.

My only real issue with the film is that at times the setting feels what I can only describe as "plastic." Perhaps this is owing in part to the CGI needed to animate the sheep, but despite some location shooting, I was always aware it was a "movie village." That said, this issue doesn't detract overly much from a very well-done entertainment.

The story and screenplay for this 109-minute film were by Craig Mazin from the novel THREE BAGS FULL by Leonie Swann.

The movie was directed by Kyle Balda, filmed by George Steel, and scored by Christophe Beck.

Tweet

Around the Blogosphere This Week...

...will not appear this weekend.

Unfortunately, we are among the 40,000 people who have had to evacuate due to a serious HAZMAT situation in our city.

We've left with our cat and are safe at our son and daughter-in-law's home several miles away.

At present we're unclear if we'll be back home later today or away for several days. I will update this when we're able to return.

For recent links of interest to classic film fans, please visit my May 16th column.

May 26th Update: We have been able to return home thanks to the evacuation zone being reduced to a smaller area after experts determined a "worst case scenario" explosion is no longer a concern.

The site is still an active problem with a smaller-scale explosion or leakage possible; we are in walking distance of one edge of the zone so we will be keeping a close eye on developments.

After a very stressful few days, I am planning to take time off work this week and hope to resume blog writing in the near future.

Thanks to all for the kind comments and emails!

May 27th Update: Good news, most of the remaining evacuation zone was scaled back last night. Only a very small area around the facility continues to be blocked off.

Tweet

Tonight's Movie: Night World (1932) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

NIGHT WORLD (1932), an entertaining 58-minute pre-Code from Universal Pictures, has just been released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

The movie, directed by Hobart Henley, starts with a fantastic opening montage of nighttime in New York City.

The screenplay, written by Richard Schayer from a story by P.J. Wolfson and Allen Rivkin, then zeroes in on one specific place, a nightclub run by Happy MacDonald (Boris Karloff) and his unfaithful wife Jill (Dorothy Revier).

A great deal happens in a single night at Happy's club, including threats to Happy from racketeers; a rich but troubled society man, Michael (Lew Ayres), falling for a sweet dancer, Ruth (Mae Clarke); and the doorman (Clarence Muse) fretting over his hospitalized wife.

The movie's tone veers all over the place, including comedy, drama, romance, and shocking violence; believe it or not, there's even a musical number designed by Busby Berkeley!

Yet somehow it all works, keeping the audience on its toes; for instance, there's a lovely marriage proposal, quickly followed by a genuinely disturbing murder sequence.

There's an interesting cast on hand, which also includes George Raft as a man trying to corner Ruth into dating him; Hedda Hopper as Michael's evil mother, who murdered his father, and Dorothy Peterson as his late father's mistress; and Robert Emmett O'Connor as a genial policeman.

Smaller roles are filled out by Florence Lake, Jack LaRue, and Harry Woods.

The performances by Clarke and Muse are especially good, very natural and likeable. I especially loved an early scene with Muse and O'Connor chatting in front of the club; given the era, the genuine friendship and respect O'Connor's white policeman conveys toward the black Tim is refreshing. And indeed, Tim proves to be the most mature and dignified character in the film.

The print is an HD master from a 2K scan of the 35mm fine grain. The disc does a nice job showing off the black and white cinematography of Merritt Gerstad. There are minor speckles but for a film of this vintage, it's in great shape, with a clear soundtrack free of skips and jumps.

Since the movie was so short, I restarted it with the commentary track by Jeremy Arnold as soon as it finished. Arnold provides a great deal of context, including on the careers of Clarke and Muse; Muse's career lasted decades longer, ending with THE BLACK STALLION (1979). 

Arnold comments on the film's admirable treatment of Muse's character, the performances (justifiably pointing out the weakness of Hopper's scene), and details on the rest of the cast.

My second look at NIGHT WORLD with the commentary track also gave me a greater appreciation for just how engaging the film manages to be in its brief running time; as Arnold notes, this little movie has entertainment value exceeding that of many films which run far longer. Between that and the inclusion of not one but two commentary tracks, this disc is a great pickup for fans of pre-Codes.

The second commentary track, which I look forward to hearing, is by Tim Lucas and Joe Busam. There's also a trailer gallery for six additional films available from Kino Lorber.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray.

Tweet

Around the Blogosphere This Week

Miscellaneous bits of news and fun stuff from around the Internet...

...I was away the past two weekends, first at the TCM Classic Film Festival and then at the Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival. I'll be posting overviews of both festivals as soon as possible, but in the meantime, here is a gigantic news roundup!

...The Warner Archive Collection has announced its June Blu-ray releases. Titles include ROSE-MARIE (1936), STRANGE CARGO (1940), COME LIVE WITH ME (1941), THIRTY SECONDS OVER TOKYO (1944), NIGHT AND DAY (1946), and, best of all, LETTY LYNTON (1932).

...Upcoming June Blu-ray releases from Kino Lorber Studio Classics include James Garner in A MAN COULD GET KILLED (1966), Marcel Bozzuffi -- a familiar face in numerous French noir films -- in VERTIGO FOR A KILLER (1970), and Gregory Peck in MACARTHUR (1977).

...And coming in July from Kino Lorber Studio Classics: Denzel Washington in FLIGHT RISK (2012) and the Brit Noir Collection III.

...Over at 50 Westerns From the 50s, Toby Roan reports there's a rumor THE BOUNTY HUNTER (1954), starring Randolph Scott and Marie Windsor, may possibly be coming to Blu-ray.

...I reported in February that one of Film Masters' upcoming releases is Shirley Temple in A LITTLE PRINCESS (1939). Home Theater Forum says it will be a new scan; there will not be extras but that it will be close-captioned. I will be reviewing this disc in the next few weeks.

...I'll insert a note here that, after being gone much of April and early May, I have a great many pending disc reviews; some discs are already here and others are on the way to me. Stay tuned! First up will be NIGHT WORLD (1932) from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, which will be released this week.

...I wish I could visit the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York this summer, as the museum is hosting a fantastic series of Universal Westerns from June 5th through July 3rd. The lineup includes the delightful, rarely seen TRAIL OF THE VIGILANTES (1940) with Franchot Tone and the terrific APACHE DRUMS (1951), produced by Val Lewton. Toby Roan lists some of his favorite picks from the series at 50 Westerns From the 50s.

...Actress Eve Plumb has a new book: HAPPINESS INCLUDED: JAN BRADY AND BEYOND, from Kensington Publishing. Related story: Tours are now available of the actual Brady Bunch home, which as been meticulously reconstructed. 

...The Hollywood Reporter has published a great interview Chris Yogerst conduction with Charlotte Barker, director of film restoration at Paramount Pictures. I've had the pleasure of meeting Charlotte, and she deeply loves movies and knows her stuff.

...The June streaming lineup for the Criterion Channel includes a trio of James Bond films and memorable movie weddings...I also want to recommend a Criterion essay by the always-great Imogen Sara Smith, "Far From Home: Three Noirs by Jacques Tourneur," published in conjunction with a current Criterion Channel collection.

...The latest CineSavant Blu-ray disc reviews from Glenn Erickson at Trailers From Hell include CRACK-UP (1946) from the Warner Archive Collection, the Brit Noir Collection I from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, MILLION DOLLAR LEGS (1932) from Universal Pictures, and THE BIG COMBO (1955) from Ignite Films. I was particularly interested that Erikson liked CRACK-UP much more than he did when he last saw it in 2010; I like it quite well myself.

...As a fan of the Fast and Furious movie series, I enjoyed this new interview with Jordana Brewster. The eleventh and final film in the series, FAST FOREVER, is due out in March 2028.

...A public hearing was held on the closed Cinerama Dome theater in Hollywood last week. Variety and IndieWire have reports.

...Also from IndieWire: "The Golden Age of Repertory Cinema is Now."

...Anne Hockens, Communications Director of the Film Noir Foundation, has put together a list of French film noir recommendations at Letterboxd...Incidentally, there's a fun shoutout from Anne and Eddie Muller in their latest "Ask Eddie" conversation on YouTube, around the 28-minute mark...And did you know that Anne puts together a Letterboxd list of all the films she and Eddie discuss in their chats?  Here's the May 14th list.

...More recent film reviews I've enjoyed reading: James L. Neibaur has reviewed the new Kino Lorber Blu-rays THE MAN WHO RECLAIMED HIS HEAD (1934) and BEND OF THE RIVER (1952)...Colin's latest review at Riding the High Country is of FLAMINGO ROAD (1949)...at Comet Over Hollywood Jessica Pickens has reviewed TWO THOROUGHBREDS (1939) and I'LL GET BY (1951)...at The Hannibal 8 Toby reviews the Ma and Pa Kettle Complete Comedy Collection...Tynan of 4 Star Films reviews the fondly recalled SUMMER SCHOOL (1987) starring Mark Harmon..and here's a look at movies watched in April at Phyllis Loves Classic Movies.

...This summer the Academy Museum's David Geffen Theater will host a 16-film VistaVision series from August 20th through 31st.

...Stay tuned to the Cinecon website for news on this year's festival, to be held Labor Day weekend, September 3rd through 7th, at the Nuart Theatre.

...Sadly, the Columbus Moving Picture Show has announced their 2026 event -- to be held from May 21st through 24th -- will be the last one. The announcement cited the current hotel location eliminating its event staff, along with "an aging base, increasing costs, and lack of viable venues."

...Notable Passings: I was sorry to recently learn of the passing last fall of film historian Les Adams, whose 1978 book SHOOT-EM-UPS, cowritten with Buck Rainey, was an early addition to my film book library. I shared a little about the book a couple years ago in one of my Western Film Book Library columns at Classic Movie Hub...Ted Turner has died at 87. He had a widely varied life and career, but for classic film fans the most important aspect of his history was the creation of Turner Classic Movies...Film critic Rex Reed has died at 87. Here are obituaries from Variety and The Hollywood Reporter.

...More Notable Passings: Mariclare Costello, who played teacher Rosemary Hunter on THE WALTONS from 1972-77 (as seen here), has died at 90.  She was the widow of actor Allan Arbus...Broadway dancer Bambi Linn, who created the role of Louise in the original production of CAROUSEL (1945) and danced on screen in both OKLAHOMA! (1955) and CAROUSEL (1956), has passed on at 100...Actress-singer Claudine Longet, the one-time wife of Andy Williams who was embroiled in an infamous shooting in the '70s, has died at 84...Former ONE LIFE TO LIVE actress Jennifer Harmon, who also acted on Broadway, has died at 82...Child actor Dennis Rush (MAN OF A THOUSAND FACES) has passed on at 74.

...For additional recent links of interest to classic film fans, please visit my April 25th column.

Tweet